Improvement in fanning-mills



L. L W;ILLSON.

Improvement in Fanning-Mills.

Patenvt'ed Nov. 5,1872.

I Ez'yj.

feed-gate.

UNITED STATES ATENT CFFIGE.

LEVI L. wiLLsoiv, or DENMARK, MicHicAN.

IMPRCVEMENT lN FANNlNG-MILLS.

- ecliication forming part of Letters Patent No. 132,784, datedV November 5, 1872.

To all whomt may concer-n:

Be it known that I, LEVI L. WlLLsoN, of Denmark, in the county of Tuscola and State of Michigan, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Fanning-Mills; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specilication.

This invention has for its object to furnish an improved arrangement of means or devices great-l y increasing the screening capacity and general adaptability-of fanning-mills and consists in the novel construction of certain parts and their combinations, as hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section, showing also the parts attached to the sides. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the hopper. Fig. 3 is a detached view, showing the construction of 'the Fig. 4 is a detailed view of chaffer, showing the upper edge of the shelves and the arrangement of prongs. Fig. 5 is a view of a part of a vibrating lever, showing the slots in which the bearers rest. Fig. 6 is a detail view ofthe connecting-rods. Fig. 7 is an end view of the guard with part of the upturned edge removed. Fig. 8 is a perpendicular view of that. end of the frame of an upper screen which is at the left hand'in Fig. l. Fig. 9 is a view of the rods which support the outer end of the upper screens Fig. 10 is a view of the rods which support the outer end of the lower screen. Fig. 11 represents a form of the levers C, which may be substituted for the levers C and C', as shown in Fig. 1.

The same letter in diterent figures refers to the same part in each.

The frame, fan, cog-wheels, &c., may be constructed in any suitable manner.

A represents the hopper. The sides A1 should extend below the boards A2 and A3, which form part of the bottom. On each inner side at a3 a pivot is placed to support the feedgate; on each outer side, extending along the upper edge, is a cleat, by means of which the may be adjusted so as to allow the grain to .fall at any desired place. A transverse vertical section is shown in Fig. 2 in which 2 represents the cleats. a represents thefeed-gate, which also forms a part of the bottom of the hopper; the upper edge rests upon the pivots a3. It may be adjusted by a set-screw, as shown at 1, Fig. l, or by a Wedge, which may be used in any convenient manner between the handle al and the board A3, as shown by the dotted lines at w, Fig. 1. As the gate a extends under the edge of the board A2, the opening formed between them is in the direction of the fans, hence the grain in falling 'through is thrown against the current of air,

and, being heavier than the various substances that are to be winnowed out, a more speedy and perfect separation is effected than is possible when it falls from a slide, which gives it the opposite motion. For cha-fling, the feedgate should be removed. B represents the chatfer. The shelves b may be formed ot thin boards, and may be framed into the sides b2, or they may be hinged in any suitable inanner. The prongs b1 project from the upper edge of the shelves, as shown in Fig. 4. The upper end of the chaft'er is suspended by the rods c; the lower end rests upon the upperscreen, the spurs b3 being placed in holes in the fra-me of said screen. D indicates a coarse screen; the inner end of the frame is notched at each side to allow it to pass between the vibrating levers, and spikes driven in to form the bearers d, as shown in Fig. 8. D1 represents a ne screen, also provided with bearers d, as in Fig. 8. D2 represents the low# er fine screen, provided with a guard which throws off the screenings that fall through D1, over each side, into the drawer J. E representsa guard 5 it may be made of sheet iron, and should be bent lengthwise, so that each side will slope downward from `the center, as shown in Fig. 7; the edge should be turned up at each end sufciently to prevent the screenings from the upper screen from falling off before reaching the sides. The up-turned edge is shown at e, and is partly broken away in Fig. 7. The sides should be incised, as indicated at e', so as to slide partially under the screw-heads or other support provided in the screen to which it is attached. 'By placing a guard on the screen D1l and elevating the 2 mensa screen D, an additional fine screen may be used, from which the grain will fall upon the upper end of the screen D1; thus, by increasing the number of guards, any desired number of fine screens may be used. The upper screens are supported and adj usted at the outer end by. the rods c, which are suspended from the plates c1, as shown in Figs. l and 9, and vibrate with the screens. The lower screen is supported and adjusted at the outer end by the rods c2, which are attached to the plates c1, as shown in Figs. l and l0, and also vibrate with the screen. The inner end of the screens is supported by levers, constructed and arranged to support and vibrate the screens in opposite directions, and also att'ord bearings for their vertical adjustment. For this purpose the levers G, provided with bearings, as shown at 3 in Figs. l, 5, and 11, may be used, being attached to the frame at S2, and to the connecting-rods at t. The levers C may also be used in connection with levers G1, in which case the levers C and G1 are attached to the frame at S and S1, and to each other at t', the connecting-rods being attached at t, as before. -F represents a slide-board, used to turn the grain from D1 forward onto D2. When more` than one set of ne screens are used, one or 'more additional slide-boards will be required. The direction ot' the blast may be regulated by boards placed in a suitable manner above and below the fans. H is the connecting-rods. I is the pinion, which is also a cranlrwheel. The pinion is attached to the end of the axle that carries the fans, and to the opposite end a second crank-wheel, I', is attached. The crankwheel should have a number of holes at difterent distances from the center, but exactly corresponding in each, that the desired vibration may be secured byattachin g the connectingrods at that distance from the center which will secure the same. m is a board extending across the frame that prevents the air from escaping upward when the hopper is drawn further from the fan. The chatter and screens,

being held in place by their weight only, may be loosened and removed by simply raising them from their position.

In operating the mill the power is applied by a crank or other means to the drivin g-wheel which meshes into the pinion. The grain falls fromthe hopper to the chatter, (when it is used',) then slides on the shelves towardvthe fan, and falls onto and through the coarse screen, thence over all the fine screens, the screenings being turned over the sides into the screen-box by the guard or guards, and falls from the mill at z.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The hopper A of a tanning-mill, provided with cleats 2 2, so as to be capable of lon gitndinal adjustment, and with the feed-gate a., swinging `on pivots a3, and adjusted by setscrew 1 or wedge fw, substantially as herein described. 2. The chaffer B of a tanning-mill, constructed as described, and provided with the prongs b1, substantially as set forth.

3. The levers C, provided with slots 3, as described, and arranged to vibrate the screens while affording bearings for their vertical adjustment, substantially as herein described.

4. In combination with the screens of a fanning-mill the vibrating levers Gand the rods c, arranged and connected so that the screens can be adjusted vertically by them at either or both ends, substantially as described and set forth.

5. In combination with a screen of a fanning-mill the guardplate E, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the levers C and C, screens D, D1, and D2, chaft'er B, rods c, slide F, and connecting-rods H, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbet'ore set forth.

LEVI L. VILLSON.

lVitnesses:

Z. F. MILLER, D. G. ALLEN. 

